HOORAY FOR CHARDONNAY! - 96 Point Stunner for $51!
- Nov 1, 2018
Hi Everyone!
I hope everyone had a safe and happy Hallowe’en! Now it’s time to purge all of that sugar with some crisp, dry Chardonnay (somewhere there is a study that supports this, I assure you). Some new galactic rockstars and some returning champions, all of them essential drinking, here we go:
Montalto Estate Chardonnay 2016, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia. An absolute firecracker, especially on the naughty finish, my goodness. Just south of Melbourne sits the Mornington Peninsula, a cooler climate (for Australia, it’s still hotter than here) with a knack for Chards and Pinots, you may not have heard about it because not much shows up here – it’s a well-kept Aussie secret and most of the tiny production is consumed locally (and never submitted for international review – only local press). Lucky for us we get to drink the best of it, this Estate Chardonnay from Montalto is brimming with energy – certainly one of the best non-buttery Chards I’ve tried this year. The nose is restrained and refined, there is some citrus and stone fruit betwixt the minerals – it’s not Chablis but it’s not not Chablis either – and the medium-to-full body coats the tongue, but the story here is the Shazam, Van Halen Solo back end. Lightsaber-y tartaric acidity tempered by glycerine heat and apple notes, the finish is racy, immediate and brilliant. See for yourself this Saturday at 3pm in the River District Vintage Room. The secret is out. Best Australian Chardonnay – Gourmet Traveller Magazine, 96 points James Halliday, 3 cases available – Exclusive to Everything Wine, $50.99 +tax
Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve Chardonnay 2016, Dundee Hills, Oregon. To call this wine “buzz-y” is like calling a bottle-rocket a “kazoo”. Ever since the 2014 vintage placed #2 on the Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2016, it has been nearly impossible to obtain (I credit my colleague Si Man Lee for grabbing this exclusive allocation for EW) and for good reason: drinking like a New World Chassagne-Montrachet, Evenstad stakes a credible claim to be Oregon’s Best Chardonnay. In many ways the backward image of the preceding Montalto, there is a wealth of lush, tropical aromas on the nose (pear, pineapple, mango, straw) but refined and restrained on the finish, with crisp minerality mixing with the creamsicle. Full and creamy mouthfeel, doesn’t hide its oak treatment but doesn’t lead with it either. Not yet reviewed by WS, could still place on “the list”, we’ll know in a couple weeks. 95 points Wine Enthusiast, 3 6-packs available, Exclusive to Everything Wine, $108.49 +tax
Hamilton Russell Chardonnay 2017, Western Cape, South Africa. This has been one of my fave New World Chardonnays for about 6 years running, aged in 4 different mediums (barriques, large foudres, concrete and steel), and this is all I get until Christmas 2019. For some reason we always get Hamilton Russell in before most of the reviews come out – that’s probably the only reason B.C. gets any at all. That said, there’s a lot of wind in the sails of this 2017 vintage, everyone who has tried it seems pretty jazzed about it, and no wonder: Anthony Hamilton Russell has yet to make a bad Chard, and has effectively become his own premium category. Floral citrus zest and caramel apples on the front end, full body and outstanding Burgundian tension on the tail – haven’t tried it yet as it’s just arrived but the hype says that this is the vintage to purchase irresponsibly - and Hamilton Russell always sells out in normal years. I’ll update when the WS and Parker reviews come in, but for now: 94 points James “Oh-Hello-Sounds-Like-You-Opened-Wine” Suckling, 4 6-packs available, $58.49 +tax
Until next time, Happy Drinking!!
I hope everyone had a safe and happy Hallowe’en! Now it’s time to purge all of that sugar with some crisp, dry Chardonnay (somewhere there is a study that supports this, I assure you). Some new galactic rockstars and some returning champions, all of them essential drinking, here we go:
Montalto Estate Chardonnay 2016, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia. An absolute firecracker, especially on the naughty finish, my goodness. Just south of Melbourne sits the Mornington Peninsula, a cooler climate (for Australia, it’s still hotter than here) with a knack for Chards and Pinots, you may not have heard about it because not much shows up here – it’s a well-kept Aussie secret and most of the tiny production is consumed locally (and never submitted for international review – only local press). Lucky for us we get to drink the best of it, this Estate Chardonnay from Montalto is brimming with energy – certainly one of the best non-buttery Chards I’ve tried this year. The nose is restrained and refined, there is some citrus and stone fruit betwixt the minerals – it’s not Chablis but it’s not not Chablis either – and the medium-to-full body coats the tongue, but the story here is the Shazam, Van Halen Solo back end. Lightsaber-y tartaric acidity tempered by glycerine heat and apple notes, the finish is racy, immediate and brilliant. See for yourself this Saturday at 3pm in the River District Vintage Room. The secret is out. Best Australian Chardonnay – Gourmet Traveller Magazine, 96 points James Halliday, 3 cases available – Exclusive to Everything Wine, $50.99 +tax
Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve Chardonnay 2016, Dundee Hills, Oregon. To call this wine “buzz-y” is like calling a bottle-rocket a “kazoo”. Ever since the 2014 vintage placed #2 on the Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2016, it has been nearly impossible to obtain (I credit my colleague Si Man Lee for grabbing this exclusive allocation for EW) and for good reason: drinking like a New World Chassagne-Montrachet, Evenstad stakes a credible claim to be Oregon’s Best Chardonnay. In many ways the backward image of the preceding Montalto, there is a wealth of lush, tropical aromas on the nose (pear, pineapple, mango, straw) but refined and restrained on the finish, with crisp minerality mixing with the creamsicle. Full and creamy mouthfeel, doesn’t hide its oak treatment but doesn’t lead with it either. Not yet reviewed by WS, could still place on “the list”, we’ll know in a couple weeks. 95 points Wine Enthusiast, 3 6-packs available, Exclusive to Everything Wine, $108.49 +tax
Hamilton Russell Chardonnay 2017, Western Cape, South Africa. This has been one of my fave New World Chardonnays for about 6 years running, aged in 4 different mediums (barriques, large foudres, concrete and steel), and this is all I get until Christmas 2019. For some reason we always get Hamilton Russell in before most of the reviews come out – that’s probably the only reason B.C. gets any at all. That said, there’s a lot of wind in the sails of this 2017 vintage, everyone who has tried it seems pretty jazzed about it, and no wonder: Anthony Hamilton Russell has yet to make a bad Chard, and has effectively become his own premium category. Floral citrus zest and caramel apples on the front end, full body and outstanding Burgundian tension on the tail – haven’t tried it yet as it’s just arrived but the hype says that this is the vintage to purchase irresponsibly - and Hamilton Russell always sells out in normal years. I’ll update when the WS and Parker reviews come in, but for now: 94 points James “Oh-Hello-Sounds-Like-You-Opened-Wine” Suckling, 4 6-packs available, $58.49 +tax
Until next time, Happy Drinking!!